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SCN
37-530
COOPERATION IN THE FIELD OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN AFRICA
by the UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization
From: UNESCO in Africa, Special Issue N. 1, July 2009.
www.unesco.org
Reproduced by The European House-Ambrosetti for the Forum
Developing the Regions of Africa and Europe, Taormina, October 7
and 8, 2010.
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3UNESCO IN AFRIQUE Special Issue N. 1
Director of PublicationDirecteur de publicationAnn Therese
NDONG-JATTADirector, UNESCO-DakarDirectrice, UNESCO-Dakar
Editorial BoardComit ditorialAnn Therese NDONG-JATTAAhmadou
Lamine NDIAYEMariama SARR-CEESAYIsyaku KABIRULawalley COLEAgns
BEYNIS
Typesetting and layoutComposition et mise en pageOumy
SARRPolykrome Dakar
Cover page designConception page de couvertureOusmane Dago
NDIAYE
PrintingImpressionPolykrome Dakar
ISSN : 0850 - 1432
UNESCO, 2009
UNESCO IN AFRICA / UNESCO EN AFRIQUE
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The designations employed and the presentation of material
throughoutthis publication do not imply the expression of any
opinion whatsoever onthe part of UNESCO concerning the legal status
of any country, territory,city or area or of its authorities, or
concerning the delimitation of itsfrontiers or boundaries.
The authors are responsible for the choice and the presentation
of the factscontained in this book and for the opinions expressed
therein, which arenot necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit
the Organization.
Les appellations employes dans cette publication et la
prsentation desdonnes qui y figurent nimpliquent de la part de
lUNESCO aucune prisede position quant au statut juridique des pays,
territoires, villes ou zones,ou de leurs autorits, ni quant au trac
de leurs frontires ou limites.
Les ides et les opinions exprimes dans cette publication sont
celles desauteurs ; elles ne refltent pas ncessairement les points
de vue delUNESCO et nengagent en aucune faon lOrganisation.
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5UNESCO IN AFRIQUE Special Issue N. 1
ditorial /EditorialMs. Ann-Therese NDONG-JATTA 6 - 7
La Confrence mondiale sur lEnseignement suprieur :De 1998 2009
en passant par la Confrence Rgionalesur lEnseignement Suprieur en
Afrique ( CRESA )M. Ahmadou Lamine NDIAYE 8
Creating an African Higher Education Space in the context of
Regionalisation andGlobalization. New Partnerships: South-South and
North-SouthMs. Naledi PANDOR 19
The New Dynamics for Higher Education in AfricaMr. Nahas A.
ANGULA 21
Regional Cooperation and Higher Education in
Africa:Consolidating the Links to Reclaim the 21st CenturyMs.
Sheila BUNWAREE 26
La coopration pdagogique universitaireMme Sverine AWENENGO
DALBERTO 35
La coopration Sud-Sud et la coopration Nord-SudM. Bernard
CERQUIGLINI 42
Lost in School-to-Work Transition : Psychological lost
Experienceof Young Graduates in Cameroon Mr. Fomba Emmanuel MBEBEB
47
Analyse des enjeux dintgration et de cooprationrgionale par
lenseignement suprieurM. Moussa MBEGNOUGA 60
La Convention dArushaM. Ahmadou Lamine NDIAYE 63
The Arusha ConventionMr. Ahmadou Lamine NDIAYE 66
Accs lenseignement suprieur en Afrique 69
Access to higher education in Africa 79
CONTENT / SOMMAIRE
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6 UNESCO EN AFRIQUE N 1 Spcial
Ann-Therese NDONG-JATTA
It is an honour and privilege to introduce the rebirthof a
UNESCO journal. This journal entitled UNESCOIN AFRICA, is the
result of a decision taken by theDirectors and Representatives of
UNESCO Officesin Africa to work collaboratively to enhance
thevisibility of the Organizations interventions andachievements in
the Africa region.
This drive to create greater visibility was hatchedin Cotonou
(Rep. of Benin) in July 2008 at themaiden meeting of the UNESCO
Leadership Teamof the Africa region. The Team, which comprisesthe
Directors and Representatives of UNESCO inAfrica, discussed
inter-office cooperation with aview to reinforcing the
effectiveness and impactof the Organizations actions and activities
in thefield. This initial meeting was followed by a secondmeeting
in Tripoli in February 2009, where theyreaffirmed their
determination to implement aninformation-sharing and knowledge
managementmechanism for the different field offices.
During the meetings, several decisions weretaken, particularly
the decision to produce acertain number of documents and
publicationsaimed at improving communications betweenfield offices
and heightening the visibility ofUNESCOs work in the field.
The goal of the UNESCO IN AFRICA journal is tocreate a space for
exchanges, dialogue andinformation dissemination, not only for the
benefitof specialists from the region and around theworld, but also
for other colleagues and expertsand partners and all those with an
interest in theactivities, information, new ideas and
innovative
experiences generated by/through UNESCO.However, the ambition of
UNESCO IN AFRICAgoes beyond information dissemination, as it isalso
intended as an instrument to raise peoplesawareness regarding the
major issues of our timesand to promote adhesion to UNESCOs ideals
ofpeace, human rights and the building of humancapabilities.
The launch of this edition specifically dedicatedto issues of
higher education in Africa, is made tocoincide with the World
Conference on HigherEducation 2009. There could be no better ormore
befitting circumstances for the publicationof this special
edition.
In the run-up to the Conference, along with theother regions of
the world, Africa, under the aegisof BREDA, prepared its
contribution by organizinga Regional Conference on Higher Education
inAfrica (CRESA) on 1013 November 2008.
This edition includes some of the contributionspresented at the
Dakar Conference, particularlythose focusing on cooperation, at
various levels,within higher education. The articles are, in
mostcases, published in the language of their authors(French or
English).
UNESCO IN AFRICA naturally has its ownEditorial Committee and
Scientific Council, whichact as a Reading Committee. I would like
toexpress my gratitude to those Committees, as wellas to all the
other people who have made thispublication possible.
EDITORIAL
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Il mest particulirement agrable de vousprsenter le tout premier
numro de la revueUNESCO EN AFRIQUE dans sa nouvelle version.La
renaissance de cette revue est le fruit de lavolont des Directeurs
et Reprsentants delUNESCO en Afrique de travailler
collectivementafin damliorer la visibilit des ralisations
delOrganisation en faveur de la Rgion Afrique.
Cette volont a pris forme Cotonou (Rp. duBnin) en juillet 2008,
lors de la rencontre desDirecteurs et Reprsentants de lUNESCO
enAfrique, qui ont discut de la coopration inter-bureau, en vue du
renforcement de lefficacit etde limpact des actions et des activits
delOrganisation sur le terrain. Cette premirerencontre ft suivie
dune seconde, Tripoli(Libye), en fvrier 2009, o ils ont raffirm
leurdtermination mettre en place un mcanismede partage
dinformations, et de gestion desconnaissances.
Au cours de ces rencontres, plusieurs dcisionsont t prises,
notamment celle de la productiondun certain nombre de documents
etpublications avec, pour objectif, damliorer lacommunication entre
les Bureaux hors - Sigeet rendre plus visible le travail de lUNESCO
surle terrain.
Il sagit pour lquipe de lUNESCO en Afrique, decrer un espace
dchanges, de dialogue et dediffusion de linformation, au profit des
spcialistesde la rgion et du reste du monde, mais aussi detous ceux
qui sintressent aux activits,informations, ides nouvelles et
expriencesnovatrices, gnres par ou travers lUNESCO.
Lambition de UNESCO EN AFRIQUE va au-delde la diffusion, elle
voudrait galement tre uninstrument de sensibilisation au service
des
populations, sur les enjeux majeurs de notretemps et de
renforcement de ladhsion auxidaux de paix, de droits de lhomme et
dedeveloppement des capacits humaines queprne lOrganisation.
UNESCO EN AFRIQUE constitue, dans sa versionactuelle, une
production de lensemble desBureaux de lUNESCO en Afrique. Au dbut,
ilparatra une fois lan, dans deux langues, lefranais et
langlais.
La parution de ce numro portant surlenseignement suprieur en
Afrique concideavec la tenue de la seconde Confrence mondialesur
lEnseignement suprieur 2009. Occasion nepouvait tre plus belle et
circonstance mieuxapproprie, pour publier ce numro quonvoudrait
spcial.
En prlude cette Confrence, lAfrique linstardes autres rgions du
monde et sous lgide duBREDA, sest penche sur sa contribution,
enorganisant du 10 au 13 novembre 2008, la ConfrenceRgionale sur
lEnseignement suprieur enAfrique (CRESA). Sont prsentes dans
cenumro quelques-unes des contributions laConfrence de Dakar,
notamment, celles relatives la coopration, diffrents niveaux,
danslEnseignement suprieur. Les articles sont publisdans la langue
des auteurs (le franais oulanglais).
UNESCO EN AFRIQUE est naturellement dotdun Comit ditorial et dun
Conseil scientifique,faisant office de Comit de lecture. Cest le
lieu deremercier les membres de ces Comits. Mesremerciements
sadressent galement toutes lesautres personnes qui ont rendu cette
parutionpossible.
7UNESCO IN AFRIQUE Special Issue N. 1
EDITORIAL
Ann-Therese NDONG-JATTA
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8 UNESCO EN AFRIQUE N 1 Spcial
INTRODUCTIONDans le cadre de lexcution de son mandat,
leprogramme majeur de lUNESCO relatif lEnseignement suprieur, a
pour objectif de :
promouvoir la diversit et la coopration ;
soutenir les enseignants et autres personnelsde lducation ;
faciliter les efforts de la communautducative internationale
rsoudre lesquestions lies aux effets de la mondialisationsur
lEnseignement suprieur ;
fournir aux tats membres des avis surlutilisation optimale des
TIC ; et,
rechercher les lments de rponse auxexigences de plus en plus
fortes de qualit etde reconnaissance des titres, diplmes et
qualifications, composantes fondamentalesde la mobilit acadmique
et de lacoopration en matire dEnseignementsuprieur.
cela il faut ajouter la rflexion sur de nouveauxmodes
dinvestissement dans lEnseignementsuprieur et, de manire plus
gnrale, danslensemble du systme ducatif.
Dans toutes ses modalits dintervention et sesactivits, lUNESCO
est guide par trois principes la fois fondamentaux et
indissociables,lUniversalit, la Diversit et la Dignit. Ces
principesentretiennent un rapport constant et trs troit avecles
valeurs et les exigences qui ne sont pas propresau seul systme
ducatif, mais toute la socit, etqui sont de justice, de solidarit,
de tolrance, departage, dquit, de respect des droits de lhommeet
des principes dmocratiques.
La Confrence Mondiale sur lEnseignement suprieur : de 1998 2009,
en passant par la Confrence Rgional
sur lEnseignement Suprieur en Afrique (CRESA) Ahmadou Lamine
NDIAYE*
UNESCO / Roger, Dominique Universit Gaston Berger, vue gnrale
architecture, Sngal (Saint-Louis)
* Ancien Recteur, Universit Gaston Berger, Saint-Louis,
SngalPrsident du Comit Rgional Africain de Suivi de la
CMES,Vice-Prsident du Comit International.
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9UNESCO IN AFRIQUE Special Issue N. 1
I- La Confrence Mondiale surlEnseignement Suprieur (CMES)de
1998
Cest dans ce cadre que, pour prparerlavnement du XXIeme sicle,
lUNESCO avaitorganis, en 1998, deux Confrences majeures,lune sur
lEnseignement suprieur Paris(France) et lautre sur la Science et la
Technologie Budapest (Hongrie).
La premire, celle qui nous proccupe ici, avaitfait lobjet dune
prparation rationnelle, par uneConfrence Rgionale, dans chacune des
cinqrgions. Son droulement, en octobre 1998, Paris, sur le thme
LEnseignement suprieur auXXIeme sicle : Vision et Actions avait t
untemps fort de mobilisation et dchanges surlEnseignement suprieur
dans le monde, ochaque rgion avait marqu ses spcificits.
Cetterencontre avait t sanctionne par un documentintitul Dclaration
mondiale sur lEnseignementsuprieur pour le XXIeme sicle et Cadre
dactionprioritaire pour le changement et ledveloppement de
lEnseignement suprieur,mettant en lumire le rle vital de
lEnseignementsuprieur dans le dveloppement socio-culturelet
conomique des socits et proposant desactions mener, en priorit, au
niveau dessystmes et tablissements, pour mieux rpondreaux attentes
de la Socit. Elle avait aussi etsurtout annonc que le XXIeme sicle
serait celui duSavoir, en prcisant dans le prambule dudocument
final : en raison de limportance et dela rapidit des changements
auxquels nousassistons, la Socit est de plus en plus fondesur le
Savoir, de sorte que lenseignementsuprieur et la recherche sont
dsormais descomposantes essentielles du dveloppementculturel,
socio-conomique et cologiquement
viable, des individus, des communauts et dessocits.
Aujourdhui, ceux qui avaient t les plusrticents accepter le rle
irremplaable delEnseignement suprieur et de manire gnrale,la
priorit de la formation de ressourceshumaines, ont fondamentalement
rvis leurposition, et comptent parmi les plus ardentsdfenseurs de
lide selon laquelle,lEnseignement suprieur, la Science et
laTechnologie, sont les plus puissants leviers pourle
dveloppement.
a) Rsultats de la CMES de 1998
Mission de lEnseignement suprieurLe document issu de la CMES a
commenc parraffirmer la mission universelle delEnseignement
suprieur, savoir lducation etla Formation, la Recherche, les
Services lacommunaut. Cependant si cette mission estuniverselle, il
convient de tenir compte descaractristiques du milieu et des
conditions oelle se droule. Ici on fait rfrence, entre autres,aux
programmes et mthodes pdagogiques,adapts en permanence, aux besoins
prsents etfuturs de la socit.
Nouvelle vision de lEnseignementsuprieur
Renforcer la pertinenceLEnseignement suprieur doit, dune
part,renforcer ses fonctions de service la socit,visant en
particulier la lutte contre lintolrance,la violence,
lanalphabtisme, la faim, la pauvret,la dgradation de lenvironnement
et, dautre part,contribuer davantage au dveloppement de
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10 UNESCO EN AFRIQUE N 1 Spcial
lensemble du systme ducatif, en amliorant laformation des
enseignants tous les niveaux etllaboration de programmes de
recherche enducation.
Accrotre laccs dans lquitIci la dclaration invoque lducation
tout au longde la vie et invite laccs dans lquit, enappelant
surtout lutter contre les ingalits etles discriminations, pouvant
tre lies lge, augenre, la langue aux handicaps mais aussi
auxdisparits dans le pays et entre pays.
Diversifier pour accrotre lgalit des chancesCette
diversification concerne les structures et lesfilires de formation
mais aussi les formesdenseignement. LUniversit, pendant
longtemps,assimile lEnseignement suprieur, est unestructure parmi
tant dautres. Par ailleurs,lenseignement priv, tous les niveaux,
est unecomposante, part entire, du systme ducatif etdoit tre pris
et trait en tant que tel.
Faire progresser les connaissances par larecherche et en
diffuser les rsultatsIl sagit de faire progresser les
connaissances,composante essentielles de la mission delEnseignement
suprieur qui conduit linnovation et qui repose sur
linterdisciplinarit,la transdisciplinarit travers une mise encommun
concerte et rationnelle des moyens etdes ressources (humaines,
matrielles etfinancires). Cest l toute la problmatique desCentres
dexcellence.
Renforcer la participation des femmes etpromouvoir leur rle Ici
les statistiques bien que rares montrent le longchemin
parcourir.
Renforcer la coopration avec le monde du travailEn tant que
source permanente de formationsinitiales et continues,
lEnseignement suprieurdoit prendre en compte, de faon rgulire,
lesvolutions des secteurs scientifiques,technologiques, conomiques
et du travail. ceteffet, il convient, dune part, de renforcer
laparticipation des reprsentants du monde dutravail aux instances
dlibrantes, de dcision etdvaluation des tablissements
dEnseignementsuprieur, dautre part, den inclure des lmentsdans
lexcution des enseignements.
Dvelopper une politique rsolue en direction despersonnels de
lEnseignement suprieurSagissant des personnels enseignants, il
fautmettre en place une politique rsolue deformation initiale et
continue de leurscomptences pdagogiques, mais aussi lesinciter, en
permanence, innover lesprogrammes et les mthodes denseignement
etdapprentissage. Il sagit aussi de les doter dunstatut
professionnel et financier propre garantiret maintenir lexcellence
dans lenseignementet la recherche. cet effet, la
Recommandationconcernant la condition du personnel enseignantde
lEnseignement suprieur, approuve par laConfrence gnrale de lUNESCO,
en novembre1997 devrait tre le document de rfrencecomplt par
lexprience internationale.
Prendre plus en compte les besoins des tudiants.Les dcideurs
nationaux et institutionnels devraientmettre les besoins des
tudiants au centre de leursproccupations, en les considrant comme
despartenaires essentiels et des protagonistesresponsables. Les
tudiants doivent tre associs ltude des questions relatives
lenseignement,aux valuations, la rnovation des mthodes
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11UNESCO IN AFRIQUE Special Issue N. 1
pdagogiques et des programmes, avec le droit desorganiser et
dassurer leur propre reprsentation.
partir de cette vision, les axes prioritaires dgagspour le Cadre
daction peuvent tre ainsi rsums :
la prise en compte des exigences de plus enplus fortes de la
demande de qualit delEnseignement suprieur ;
le dveloppement de lutilisation desTechnologies de lInformation
et de laCommunication (TIC), qui sont la foismatires dtudes, outils
pdagogiques etbase de nouvelles formes dducation et
decommunication;
le renforcement de la gestion et dufinancement de lEnseignement
suprieuro le rle de ltat reste essentiel ;
le partage des connaissances et du savoir-faire travers les
frontires et les continents ;
lexode et la reconqute des comptences ;
le dveloppement des partenariats et desalliances autour de
lEnseignementsuprieur.
b) Quelques ralisations, en Afrique,aprs la CMES de 1998
loccasion de sa mise en place, sinspirant desaxes prioritaires
dgags par la CMES et en tenantcompte de la spcificit des problmes
ducontinent, le Comit Rgional Africain de Suivi, enrelation avec le
Bureau Rgional de lUNESCO Dakar (BREDA) et le Bureau de Harare,
avaitlabor un programme prioritaire dont les
lments majeurs sarticulent autour de trois axes:
la rforme de lEnseignement suprieur ;
la coopration interinstitutionnelle et lamobilit acadmique ;
la formation des enseignants, en relationavec le dveloppement
des TIC.
La rforme de lEnseignement suprieurLes actions entreprises ont
vis inscrire et faireadmettre le rle et la place de
lEnseignementsuprieur et de la recherche dans les politiques
dedveloppement conomique et social des pays, rendre lEnseignement
suprieur plus pertinent(curricula, diversification des formes,
institutions etprogrammes de formation). Cest dans ce cadreque le
BREDA a contribu llaboration de plansdaction et de guides, et de
recommandations pourla rforme de lEnseignement suprieur. Le Bureaua
apport son appui et fourni de la documentationaux tablissements
dEnseignement suprieur dela Rgion. Il a en outre activement
particip auxtravaux entrepris, en matire dEnseignementsuprieur, par
les instances rgionales et lesassociations, en Afrique.
Des pays de plus en plus nombreux se dotentdun plan stratgique
pour lEnseignementsuprieur et la Recherche et dune
carteuniversitaire, avec la multiplication destablissements
dEnseignement suprieur, tantdans le public que dans le priv.
La coopration interinstitutionnelle et la mobilitacadmiqueLe
programme UNITWIN/Chaires UNESCO a t,aprs valuation, consolid. Des
actions ont tmenes pour soutenir lgalit des sexes,
danslEnseignement suprieur et les activits du
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12 UNESCO EN AFRIQUE N 1 Spcial
Comit de pilotage du programme dappui et dedveloppement de
Centres dExcellencergionaux, notamment dans les
paysfrancophones.
Dans ce domaine de la cooprationinterinstitutionnelle et de la
mobilit acadmique,des chantiers majeurs ont t ouverts. Il sagit de
:
la rforme Licence Matrise Doctorat (LMD),est largement partage
dans lespace africain,notamment francophone et sa mise en uvreest
en cours, dans de nombreux pays, avecpour chaque pays, chaque
institution, sonpropre rythme. Cette rforme contribuera
aurenforcement de la mobilit et lharmonisation des systmes
existants ;
la prise en compte de lAssurance Qualit.Pour rpondre aux
exigences de qualit, denombreuses initiatives ont t prises, tant
auniveau national qu au plan sous-rgional,par le CAMES par exemple
et certainescommunauts sous-rgionales dintgration.La Communaut de
Dveloppement delAfrique Australe (SADC) a notammentlanc, avec
lUNESCO, un projet visant dvelopper un cadre de qualifications
pourcette sous-rgion (Framework forQualifications), afin dtablir
des normessous-rgionales qui vont renforcer la mobilitacadmique.
Dans ce domaine, leprogramme prvoit des tudes de cas, avecnotamment
le CAMES et le Nigeria ;
lamendement de la Convention dArusha de1981, linstar des quatre
autres rgions(cette Convention amende attend la miseen uvre des
procdures administratives
appropries pour son adoption, sa signatureet sa ratification)
;
les nouvelles initiatives, en matire definancement de la
mobilit, comme lesprogrammes de lUnion Africaine (UA), misen uvre
par lAssociation des UniversitsAfricaines (AUA) et qui sont
relatifs lHarmonisation et le Systme africain deranking des
Universits Africaines.
Signalons aussi, toujours au niveau de lUA,la cration du
programme de bourses demobilit pour des tudiants africains, dansles
Universits africaines, les boursesMwalimu Nyerere.
Un autre programme de bourses de mobilitSud/Sud, pour des
tudiants, existegalement au niveau de lAcadmie desSciences pour le
Dveloppement du Tiers -monde (TWAS). Il a t mis en place etfinanc
par des Pays du Sud (Chine,Mexique, Inde, Afrique du Sud, Brsil).
Cesnouvelles initiatives sajoutent auxprogrammes dj existants.
Notons aussi que dautres organisationsrgionales africaines
interviennent dans lerenforcement de la
cooprationinterinstitutionnelle et la mobilitacadmique. Parmi les
plus significatives, ilconvient de noter lintervention de banques
ct des Organisations sous-rgionalesdintgration. On peut cet gard
citer, titre dexemples, lUnion conomique etMontaire Ouest Africaine
(UEMOA), laCommunaut conomique et MontairedAfrique Centrale
(CEMAC), la Banque
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13UNESCO IN AFRIQUE Special Issue N. 1
Africaine de Dveloppement (BAD), laSouthern Development Bank of
South Africaavec son programme KnowledgeManagement Africa (KMA).
Certaines de cesInstitutions auront loccasion dexposer
leursprogrammes.
La formation des enseignantsSagissant des enseignants, les
besoins deformation de formateurs, tant en quantit quenqualit, sont
de plus en plus pressants :formations initiales et continues tout
au long de lavie, avec le besoin de sadapter aux demandesnouvelles,
notamment celles dcoulant dudveloppement des TIC, avec la
production deguides et matriels pdagogiques.
ce propos, le BREDA a accord une placeimportante au dveloppement
de lutilisation desTIC. Des programmes de coopration rgionaleont t
mis en place, avec le Commonwealth ofLearning, lOIF et lAUF dans le
but de renforcerla production de matriels pdagogiques
pourlEnseignement suprieur distance et la gestionde des
tablissements dEnseignement suprieur distance en Afrique. De
nombreuses autresinitiatives se sont dveloppes dans le
continentcomme la consultation sur lutilisation des TICdans la
formation et le recyclage des enseignantspar le biais de la
formation distance, les tudesde cas sur les politiques et la
gestion delEnseignement suprieur distance en Afrique,les
consultations sur la rforme delEnseignement suprieur et
lutilisation des TICen Afrique et la Confrence rgionale sur
lespolitiques nationales de formation, derecrutement et de rtention
des enseignants delenseignement distance.
Comme vous laurez constat, toutes ces actionsentreprises relvent
les dfis identifis en 1998par la CMES, visant rformer
lEnseignementsuprieur pour ladapter davantage aux besoinsde la
Socit, en se fondant sur la prise deconscience du rle
incontournable delEnseignement suprieur comme force motricede
dveloppement.
II- La Confrence Rgionale surlEnseignemnet Suprieur enAfrique
(CRESA)
linstar de ce qui avait t fait pour prparer laCMES de 1998,
chaque Rgion a organis unerunion prparatoire de la CMES 2009.
Larunion prparatoire Africaine, CRESA, sesttenue Dakar, du 10 au 13
novembre 2008.
Si lon considre le thme gnral de laConfrence mondiale de 2009,
Les nouvellesdynamiques de lEnseignement suprieur pour leChangement
de la Socit et le Dveloppement ,on peut constater que les dfis de
lEnseignementsuprieur restent les mmes dans le monde,peut-tre avec
une plus grande acuit en Afrique.
Cest dans cette perspective que le Comitscientifique, mis en
place par le BREDA, a retenules sous-thmes qui permettront la CRESA
dese pencher sur les nouveaux dfis et dimpulserde nouveaux
dynamismes, dans les domainessuivants :
lefficacit et le rendement de lEnseignementsuprieur ;
la Recherche et lInnovation
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14 UNESCO EN AFRIQUE N 1 Spcial
la Cration dun Espace Africain delEnseignement suprieur
(EAES)
lAssurance Qualit.
La CRESA a t galement marque par unerunion des Ministres chargs
de lducationprsents qui a donn un clairage politique auxdbats qui,
ayant fait largement appel destudes de cas, ont port notamment sur
laccs,la pertinence, la gestion, la qualit, la coopration,la
recherche :
LaccsAu moment o lAfrique est loin davoir atteint lamasse
critique de personnels qualifis etcomptents pour assurer son
dveloppement,laccs lEnseignement suprieur resteglobalement trs
faible, en dpit des progrsaccomplis. Environ dix (10) tudiants pour
mille(1000) habitants, avec une grande variabilitentre pays, contre
6 pour 1000 en 2000. Ce faibleratio est aggrav par un taux de
russite assezbas, notamment dans le premier cycle de laplupart des
universits. De nombreux facteurssont lorigine de ce mal profond,
parmi lesquelsles politiques ducatives dcoulant de lducationPour
Tous, qui n'a pas pris en chargel'Enseignement suprieur; la
position souventhostile des partenaires vis--vis delEnseignement
suprieur; le fait que les effets desrsultats des lourds
investissements dans lesautres ordres denseignement nont pas tprvus
dans le suprieur, les dsquilibres dansles diffrentes filires du
baccalaurat avec trspeu dans les sries scientifiques et
unemassification dans les sries littraires etc.
La pertinenceEn dpit des efforts, le dficit persistant en
matire
de pertinence et defficacit apparat, dansbeaucoup de pays,
travers linadquation entrele contenu des formations et les besoins
dumarch, ce qui se traduit par des taux levs dediplms chmeurs dans
des contextes o dessecteurs cls de lconomie manquentcruellement de
personnels qualifis. Ceci est biensouvent le corollaire du
dsquilibre importantentre le nombre lev dtudiants dans les
filiresdites littraires (Lettres, Droit,) et celui bas, destudiants
des filires scientifiques, techniques etprofessionnelles.
Les investissements et la gestion de lEnseignementsuprieurMalgr
les progrs enregistrs, la bonnegouvernance, le financement, une
recherchepertinente et novatrice ncessitent encorebeaucoup
dattention et defforts.
La qualitLa mise en place de mcanismes fonctionnelsdassurance
qualit et daccrditation.
Les donnes statistiquesLa disponibilit de donnes statistiques
fiables,ncessaires une bonne planification despolitiques.
Le renforcement de la cooprationLa construction dun Espace
Africain delEnseignement suprieur peut contribuergrandement, avec
des instruments appropriscomme lharmonisation, la Convention
dArusharnove, au renforcement de la coopratiopn enAfrique. Un
instrument important aussi est,lexistence dun systme performant de
mobilitacadmique prenant en compte les aspectsacadmiques mais aussi
administratifs etfinanciers.
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15UNESCO IN AFRIQUE Special Issue N. 1
La recherche sur les systmes ducatifs africainsAu lieu de
continuer traiter sparment lesdiffrents niveaux et les diffrentes
formes, lemoment nest-il pas venu de considrer lesystme ducatif
comme un ensemble dont il fauttravailler la cohrence surtout au
niveaunational, si on veut en faciliter lharmonisation ?Le moment
nest il pas venu de nous doter dunInstitut Africain de recherche
sur lducation ?
III- La CMES de 2009 et les attentesde lAfrique
En convoquant la CMES de 2009, le DirecteurGnral de lUNESCO a
donn deux orientationsfondamentales :
La confrence sera oriente vers laction, afin dedboucher sur des
propositions etrecommandations partir desquelles deprogrammes
dactions seront mis en place ;
La Confrence accordera une priorit lAfrique. Pourconcrtiser ce
choix, une session spciale y seraconsacre afin qu lissue de la
rencontre, unprogramme spcial prioritaire puisse tre conu,pour
lAfrique. Dans cette perspective, une TaskForce a t mise en place
pour prendre en chargecette question. Celle-ci, en choisissant le
thme :
Promouvoir lexcellence pour acclrer leDveloppement de lAfrique :
vers un Espace AfricaindEnseignement suprieur et de Recherche
a retenu, pour cadre de rflexion et dactions troisaxes qui sont
:
renforcer laccs, lefficacit et lefficience delEnseignement
suprieur ;
apporter un soutien accru au dveloppementde lenseignement de la
science et de latechnologie, pour rpondre la demande delconomie et
des socits ;
dvelopper de nouveaux partenariats.
CONCLUSIONLes attentes sont nombreuses mais, en raison
delorientation donne la CMES de 2009, lespoirest permis de pouvoir
dboucher sur des actionsconcrtes et prcises, qui permettront de
prouverle mouvement en marchant, mme petits pas.
Aussi pour conclure, nous devons avoir prsent lesprit tout au
long de nos travaux ces mots defeu le Professeur Ki-Zerbo. Invit
conclure undbat organis sur la cooprationinteruniversitaire par le
CAMES, il avait, dans sonlangage et son ton habituels, soulign :
Surtoutes ces questions nous avons dj produit desHimalaya de
rsolutions et des rivires de salive ;ce quil nous faut maintenant
ce sont des actionsconcrtes .
Proposons donc des actions concrtes mais aussiet surtout
engageons-nous, nous Africains lesfinancer et alors, coup sr, nous
trouverons surnotre chemin, nos partenaires au dveloppementqui nous
accompagneront, dans un vraipartenariat.
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16 UNESCO EN AFRIQUE N 1 Spcial
Much has already been said about partnerships.While the notion
of partnerships holds muchpromise, we should not run the risk of
beingdiverted from the real task at hand, which is therenewal of
higher education in Africa. This is notan undertaking for the
faint-hearted. It requiresfrom all of us a sustained commitment
todeveloping and nurturing national highereducation systems as the
building blocks of sub-regional and regional systems, without which
wecannot hope to participate meaningfully inpartnerships.
What then are the fundamental steps that mustbe taken towards
sustainable and robust systemsof higher education in Africa? The
first task has tobe a detailed assessment of the state of
highereducation on the Continent. Such an assessmentwill support
and inform the strategies forpartnership, co-operation and
development thatwill make up the immediate response to ourintention
to build African higher education into arobust and responsive
sector.
The review is made urgent by the need to ensurethat we do not
drive change on the basis of plansthat are over-ambitious and
de-linked from thereality of underinvestment and poor capacity
thatcharacterizes many of the universities on theContinent. A list
of tasks is not an adequate outlineof key strategic objectives that
must define actionin the sector for the next five to ten years.
The first and foremost challenge has to beinstitutional and
sectoral renewal. Strongpartnerships are reliant on strong African
highereducation institutions.
I will confine myself to what I consider to be fivekey
imperatives for renewal:
Increasing and broadening equitable studentaccess, with the
appropriate financial supportto students from poor and
marginalizedcommunities ;
The diversification of institutional types in highereducation to
enable improved responsivenessto labour market, research and
innovation andbroader societal needs (especially high
qualityteacher education) ;
No country in the world can expect to successfullyintegrate in,
and benefit from this 21st centuryeconomy without a well-educated
work -force.
The development of robust national qualityassurance frameworks
as a pre-requisite forsub-regional and regional harmonization
andmobility ;
Improving the Infrastructure, conditions ofservice of academic
staff and the quality ofstudent life; and
Enhancing the management of highereducation within the context
of greaterautonomy matched with high levels of
publicaccountability.
To achieve these broad goals will require politicalwill and a
commitment to the significantlyimproved funding of higher education
from bothnational budgets and other income streams,premised on the
shared understanding thathigher education brings both private and
publicbenefits.
According to a report which was presented toAfrican Ministers of
Finance', "AcceleratingCatch-Up - Tertiary education for growth in
Sub-
Creating an African Higher Education Space in the contextof
Regionalisation and Globalization. New partnerships:
South-South and North-South Naledi PANDOR*
* Minister of Education, South Africa.
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17UNESCO IN AFRIQUE Special Issue N. 1
UNESCO / Langella, G. Laboratoire de physique, Univerit Cheikh
Anta Diop, Sngal (Dakar)
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18 UNESCO EN AFRIQUE N 1 Spcial
Saharan Africa 2009", enrolments tripled between1991 and 2005,
expanding at an annual rate of8.7%, which is one of the highest
regional growthrates in the world. However, over a 25-year
period,the spending per student declined from anaverage of US $ 6
800 per year to a low of US $981 in 2005 for 33 countries.
With current levels of expenditure, we cannot,even with all the
best of intentions, aspire to beglobally competitive. At the core
of our declarationat this Conference (CRESA, 2008), must be
aresounding statement to motivate improved levelsof funding. But
more resources must also bematched with a commitment towards
buildingand strengthening African higher educationsystems in ways
that genuinely contribute tosocial, economic and political
development andthe alleviation of poverty, disease and war.
Let me now elaborate on the complexity ofpartnerships in the
context of globalization.
A sign of increased demand for access to highereducation is
student outflow from the Continentto higher learning institutions
in the developedcountries. Studies show that the
internationalmobility of students has increased significantlyover
the past 10 to 15 years. The total number ofmobile tertiary
students was estimated at over2.7 million in 2005, an increase of
more than60% from the early 1990s. Traditionally, themajority of
mobile students came from the lessdeveloped countries and 80% of
these studied inthe OECD countries.
In September 2007, a British Council report in theUnited Kingdom
revealed that education is worthmore to the United Kingdom than the
bankingsector. It is even more remarkable when youremember that
education is still provided largelyby governments.
Clearly, this makes education vital to the UnitedKingdom economy
and, in particular, it makesinternational students and the tuition
fees theypay vital to the United Kingdom's economy.
While the United Kingdom's earnings haveincreased from
international students, its share ofthe global international
student market hasdeclined.
Other directions of student flow are now emergingsuch as
mobility within the commonwealthcountries and South - South or
North-South flows.The reasons for this shift include cost
factors,increased competition in the market, and skillsshortages.
The study on International StudentMobility Key Figures by Campus
France indicatesthat the number of African students studyingabroad
has grown significantly over the past tenyears or so-from 161 877
in 1999 to 284 260 in2006. The same study shows that the majority
ofAfrican students studying outside their countriesof origin study
in France, the United States ofAmerica, and the United Kingdom.
However, theUnited States of America still dominates themarket in
international students, despite the riseof universities in South
and East Asia, whereChina and India are producing four
milliongraduates a year.
UNESCO figures highlight the fact that Sub-Saharan Africa has
the highest outbound studentmobility rate at 5.9%. This translates
into 1 out ofevery 16 African students studying outside of
theirhome country. Lack of capacity in their homecountry is often
the driving force.
Africas outbound migration of students andprofessionals has some
benefits in creatingnetworks favorable to Africa, and also
sharingknowledge about Africa with others around theworld. But if
left unabated, the phenomenon
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19UNESCO IN AFRIQUE Special Issue N. 1
could have negative consequences on the regionas it takes away
the talents and skills that arenecessary for the development of the
Continent.
In the context of rapid globalization, mobility is areality. As
African states, we can, nevertheless,increase capacity and
opportunities in ourcountries and within the region itself. Also,
as aregion, we should aim to attract talentedindividuals from other
parts of the world.
It is thus imperative that we take it upon ourselvesto create
conducive environments to ensure thatstudent and staff mobility
does not happen at theexpense of African development.
Collaboration and partnerships between Northand South can work
to the benefit of theContinent. Sweden, for example, has
supportedRwandan students to study in South Africa. Thisis a model
that could be extended and applied ona regional basis.
Perhaps, one of the areas where regionalcooperation is required
is on the issue ofdifferentiation. A strong case must be made
formore diverse higher education institutional typesthat are able
to meet appropriate qualitybenchmarks.
This requires the active involvement of the privatesector both
in partnership with the public sectoras well as its direct
participation in providinghigher education programmes. In South
Africa,we are only beginning to look at the policyimplications of
planning for a single highereducation system, combining both public
andprivate institutions in ways that bind us tocommon goals and
objectives. In particular,I have initiated a discussion on the
possibleextension of financial aid to students studying at
'not-for-profit' private institutions, especially inareas of
scarce skills needs.
In pursuing differentiation as a policy instrument,we must be
strategic. Not all universities can beresearch-intensive. For
instance, Africa's sub-regions could agree that a selected group
ofinstitutions should be developed as research-intensive. This does
not mean the relegation ofother higher education institutions to a
second-class status. On the contrary, our Continent needslarge
numbers of high quality undergraduateinstitutions focused on
meeting the professionaland other skills needs of developing
communitiesand nations. They too, like the
research-intensiveuniversities, must be appropriately funded.
Theearly history of the land grant universities in theUS may
provide us with interesting models.
If we are to indeed, selectively and systematically,build
research-intensive universities on theContinent, we must look
towards new andinnovative partnerships to support our vision.
The output of academic research in Sub-SaharanAfrica is a matter
of concern. The UNESCOInstitute of Statistics (UIS), Bulletin of
Science andTechnology Statistics (2005), indicates that thewhole of
Africa represented only 1.4 percent ofthe world scholarly
publications in 2000. As aregion, Africa does not compare well with
the restof the world with regard to research or academicscholarly
output. For instance, from 1997 to2007, South Africa, which is the
leading countryin Sub-Saharan Africa in terms of
scholarlypublications, produced 51, 738 publications,which was half
of what the United States and theUnited Kingdom were able to
produce in one year.In 2006, the United States and the
UnitedKingdom scholarly publications were calculatedat 100, 000 and
97, 904 respectively. The second
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20 UNESCO EN AFRIQUE N 1 Spcial
1 Ondari-Okemwa, E (2007). Scholarly publishing in Sub-Saharan
Africa in the Twenty-first Century:Challenges and Opportunities,
Public Knowledge Product.
and third sub-Saharan countries are Nigeria andKenya at 9,540
and 6, 661 respectively1.
There are of course many reasons why Africa asa region fares
badly when compared to otherregions. These vary from
socio-political factors,environmental and economic factors
includingthe fact that a significant number of Africanscholars are
now based in western countries.
Having said Africa needs to improve on itsresearch publications
output, as we formulate ourrenewal strategies, we must take
cognisance ofthe changing nature of knowledge production.Networks
of researchers transcending nationaland regional boundaries are a
growingcharacteristic of knowledge creation in the twenty-first
century. Between 1987 and 1997,internationally co-authored articles
doubled andaccounted for 15% of all world journal articles
asreported by the US National Science Board.
Furthermore, this analysis revealed that countrieswith an
internal capacity to research local issuesare better positioned to
participate in globalnetworks.
This resonates with the objectives of the emergingpartnership
between India, Brazil and SouthAfrica (IBSA) where building the
identification ofresearch themes has been informed by eachcountry's
unique research strengths and strategicadvantages to address
development challengesshared by three partners.
The critical assessment of the state of highereducation in
Africa, which I proposed earlier, willprovide the basis for
identifying opportunities forbuilding national and sub-regional
systems whichwill leverage Continental and
internationalpartnerships that will substantially contribute tothe
revitalization and renewal of African highereducation.
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21UNESCO IN AFRIQUE Special Issue N. 1
THE AFRICAN CONDITIONThe African Regional Conference on
HigherEducation offers African Education Leaders anopportunity to
reflect on the state of HigherEducation in Africa in the context of
political,social, economic and global conditions impactingon
Africas well-being.
Our reflection on the state of Higher Education inAfrica should
be guided by the concept of thecurrent African condition. Africa is
part of a globalcommunity. The global challenges of climatechange,
globalization, financial meltdown,terrorism, high fuel and food
prices, just tomention a few, are impacting negatively onAfrican
well-being and welfare. Yet, Africa hasother challenges particular
to itself. These includeunderdevelopment, poverty,
youthunemployment, the HIV/AIDS pandemic andother diseases, civil
wars and political conflicts. Inparticular, the challenge of
meeting the MilleniumDevelopment Goals (MDGs) by the year 2015
isurgent and crucial. The global and localchallenges are further
exacerbated by fallingcommodity prices, energy shortages, the
unfairglobal trading system and Africas failure toleverage
knowledge and technology as a basis forstrategic and sustainable
development.
Higher Education is critical in transforming thecurrent African
condition. Peter F. Druckegcharacterized the current age as an age
of socialtransformation. He tersely noted: Thecomparative advantage
that now counts is in theapplication of knowledge. He further
advised :This means that developing countries can nolonger base
their development on low wages. Hethen concluded: They, too, must
learn to base iton applying knowledge. The challenge facingAfrican
Higher Education is the challenge ofknowledge application. In April
1997, the
UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in Africa(BREDA) organised
a similar consultationconference, as preparatory to the October
1998World Conference on Higher Education. Thatconsultative
conference resolved to develop newguidelines focusing on key issues
facing AfricanHigher Education at that time. The key issueswere
relevance, quality, finance, managementand cooperation. That
conference resolved thatAfrican Higher Education should improve
itsrelevance, quality, management, funding andreinforce
cooperation. The critical question nowis: Did African Higher
Education act on thesecommitments?
SOME POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS IN AFRICAN HIGHEREDUCATIONThere have
been some positive developments inAfrican higher Education
especially in the areasof relevance and institutional cooperation.
In2003, the African Union (AU) established theAfrican Ministerial
Council on Science andTechnology under the New Partnership for
AfricanDevelopment NEPAD. The African MinisterialCouncil on Science
and Technology AMCOST is a high-level platform for developing
policies andsetting priorities on science, technology andinnovation
for the African Development. AMCOSTprovides the framework for
political and policyleadership, and has adopted Africas Science
andTechnology Consolidated Plan of Action. TheScience and
Technology Consolidated Plan ofAction was signed here in Dakar in
2005, to serveas a blueprint for science and technologyengagement
in Africa. This Plan is now beingused as a basis for regional and
Continentalengagement in the promotion of science andtechnology in
Africa.
In this context of international cooperation, it isworth noting
that the African Union and the
The New Dynamics for Higher Education in Africa
Nahas A. ANGULA*
* Extract of Keynote address by Mr. Nahas A. Angula, Prime
Minister, Republic ofNamibia, in the Regional Conference on Higher
Education in Africa (CRESA, 2008).
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22 UNESCO EN AFRIQUE N 1 Spcial
European Union have agreed in 2005 to expandcollaboration
between European and AfricanUniversities through the development of
Euro-African Networks of Universities and Centres ofExcellence.
Within this framework a new studentsexchange programme was
promised. It wasenvisaged that funds were going to be providedto
enable students from one African country tospend a year studying in
another African country.EU and AU collaboration was further to
beconsolidated through European and AfricanResearch communities. In
particular, suchcollaboration was to take place at the level of
theConsultative Group on International AgriculturalResearch and by
supporting mechanisms toenhance regional coordination in
Africa.
The seventeen members of the InternationalCommission for Africa,
set up by former BritishPrime Minister, Tony Blair, in 2004
acknowledgedthat critical scientific skills unlock the potential
ofinnovation and technology to accelerate economicgrowth. The
Commission recommended thestrengthening of science, engineering
andtechnology capacity in Africa. To achieve thisobjective, the
Commission recommended that theinternational community should
commit toproviding up to US $ 3 billion, starting in 2005,over a
period of ten years, to develop centres ofexcellence in science and
technology includingAfrican institutions of technology. The
Scienceand Technology Commission of the NewPartnership for African
Development, NEPAD,would identify location of such centres and
themost promising areas of research.
Furthermore, the Ministers of Science andTechnology of the G8
meeting in Okinawa, Japan,in June 2008, reached a consensus on
promotingscience and technology among developed anddeveloping
countries. Among others they agreed
that in order to adequately address the globallyissues they
should promote collaborative effortsbetween developed and
developing countries.Such collaboration was to be reflected in
nationalscience and technology planning priorities. Theyfurther
emphasized that building educational andresearch capacity was
extremely important forenhancing problem-solving capacities
ofdeveloping countries.
The promotion of institutional partnerships isanother noteworthy
development in AfricanHigher Education. In Egypt, for
example,Universities from other countries established
localbranches. They are American-Egyptian
University,Egyptian-British University, Chinese -
EgyptianUniversity and so on. The Chinese-EgyptianUniversity is
likely to break new grounds in theway universities are organised in
Africa. It isreported that the Chinese-Egyptian Universitylocated
at Heliopolis, and a branch of LiaoningUniversity of China, will
put stress more on thepractical and applied aspects of
learningexperience and less on theory. I shall return to
thisapproach when I discuss new directions of HigherEducation in
Africa.
Regional cooperation is also growing in Africa. Inthe Southern
Africa Development Community -SADC - for example, there are
encouragingdevelopments. The SADC Protocol on HigherEducation
requires that Member Countries reserve5% of their Higher Education
placements forstudents from other Member States. For fee
payingpurpose, such students are charged as if they werenationals
of the receiving country. Within SADC, theScience and Technology
Sector was established.This Sector is responsible for rolling out
the Scienceand Technology Consolidated Plan of Action in theSADC
Region. For instance, three flagshipprogrammes have been launched
in the SADC
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23UNESCO IN AFRIQUE Special Issue N. 1
Region. These are the African Institute forMathematical Science,
the Southern AfricanBioscience Network and the African Lazer
Centre.Moreover, a SADC Protocol on Science, Technologyand
Innovation was signed by the SADC Heads ofState and Government in
August 2008.
These cited cooperative efforts are not meant tobe exhaustive
but rather illustrative. There aremany more collaborative
initiatives in other areas,such as in areas of quality assurance
andaccreditation, faculty exchange, research anddevelopment and so
on. The fact is that thesedevelopments are pointers to new ways
ofrevitalizing the African Higher Education. Thetransformation of
African Higher Education,however, will require a complete rethink
of themission, organization, management and operationof Higher
Education in Africa
NEW DYNAMICS IN AFRICAN HIGHER EDUCATIONMichael Gibbons, the
former Secretary-General ofthe Association of Commonwealth
Universities,defined the new paradigm to the functioning ofHigher
Education in the 21st century ( GibbonsM.). This paradigm shift
requires that HigherEducation in the 21st century should be far
moreadept at re-configuration knowledge that is beingproduced in
the distributed knowledge productionsystem. This new way of doing
business by HigherEducation Institutions requires the shift
fromknowledge configuration. This can only happen ifinstitutions of
Higher Learning are able to createa cadre of knowledge workers,
that is, people whoare experts at configuring knowledge relevant
toa wide range of contexts. Knowledge workers areproblem
identifiers, problem solvers, and problembrokers. The dynamics in
Higher Education in
Africa is the challenge of the creation of a cadreof knowledge
workers. Michael Gibbons aptlynoted: The shift from knowledge
production toknowledge configuration is a challenge that
isparticularly acute for the Universities in thedeveloping world.
He proposed that for thesystem of Higher Education to shift into
this newparadigm, universities should develop structureswhich
promote and reward group creativity.Resource sharing and teamwork
should emergeas the new ethos of universities. New
partnershipsaimed at technology transfer should guideinstitutional
cooperation and collaboration. In anutshell, Higher Education in
the 21st centuryshould define its relevance in terms of
thecontribution it makes to national economicperformance and to the
enhancement of thequality of life of the people.
Gibbons identified key attributes of HigherEducation system
which characterise the newdynamics as:
Knowledge produced in the context ofapplication:
Transdisciplinary approach inknowledge production.
There are many different ways of reorganizingHigher Education
systems with the view toenhancing the new dynamics. There are
threemodels I wish to draw inference from. Onepractical way is to
follow the Chinese EgyptianUniversities model. This model lays
stress on thepractical and applied aspects of
learningexperience.
This is whereby students are required to applywhat they have
learnt through projects. For
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24 UNESCO EN AFRIQUE N 1 Spcial
example, students are requiredto develop market specificproducts
or a plan for themanagement of a factory.This is truly
knowledge
produced in the contextof application.
The second model is one which Erik Arnold andSarah Teather
(2001) called Vectors ofTechnology Capability. This is a model
ofqualified manpower placement scheme. Thequalified manpower
placement scheme is anidea of linear transfer of knowledge from
thescience base or University to industrialpractice. The underlying
goal is to moveknowledge from the research sector to industryand to
provide experiential training to newlyqualified scientific human
power. Knowledge,learning and Higher Education Institutions
mustbecome key to overall economic performance.
Arnold and Teather identified the followingeconomic benefits to
the production system:
- New and useful information is available to thefirms ;
- New instrumentation and methodologies areshared.
A practical example of the model of a serviceUniversity is the
American Land Grant Universitysystem. These Universities
revolutionised AmericanAgriculture.
CONCLUSIONIn conclusion, it is possible to argue that thecurrent
African condition is a crisis. However, allhope is not lost. This
crisis can be addressedthrough change and the transformation of
theknowledge production and application system inAfrica. The new
dynamics of Higher Education areaimed at putting knowledge at the
cutting edge ofchange and transformation in Africa.
Knowledgeproduced in the context of application should bethe new
ethos of Higher Education in Africa. Howcould this be achieved? I
venture to suggest thefollowing recommendations as a way forward
:
University to University partnership ;
University and Industry partnership ;
University and Community partnership.
University to University partnership is not a newidea. Egypt has
promoted this idea byencouraging Universities to establish
campusesin Egypt. This relationship, however, should startbetween
universities in Africa. It should extend toSouth South cooperation.
It should culminate inNorth South cooperation. These
relationships,however, should be based on the concept of
newknowledge generation, knowledge re-configuration, knowledge
application and
UNESCO / Bois, J.C. Laboratoire de langues, Enseignement
suprieur, Cte d'Ivoire (Abidjan)
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25UNESCO IN AFRIQUE Special Issue N. 1
problem-solving. This relationship shouldencourage team work in
problem-solving,transdisciplinary approach in research,networking
and interaction in knowledgeproduction. The Chinese Egyptian
UniversityModel could serve as a guide of new University
ofUniversity partnership.
The second model is the University-Industrypartnership. This
relationship may drawinspirations from the manpower
placementschemes. Such schemes, as detailed by Arnoldand Teather,
serve as vectors of technologycapability of firms. The university
mission is notonly to preserve knowledge but more importantlyto
take knowledge to the market place and to putmechanisms in place on
how best to tapknowledge and practice from the market placeand
integrate that into curricula reform. Thismeans that relevance in
Higher Education will bejudged by the contribution of Higher
Education
institutions to national economic performance. Thirdly, the
University-Community partnershipshould be driven by the notion of
the serviceuniversity. Poverty, communicable deseases,housing,
sanitation, nutrition, are some of thecommunity challenges
universities could help toaddress through
University-Communitypartnership.
These models can best be utilized if theparticularly contextual
aspects of the AfricanHigher Education landscape are taken
intoconsideration. The key is to keep the balance rightbetween what
the model can offer and whatcontextually can work in which African
country.There is thus no one size-fits-all. We need to
becreative.
Many other models are possible. African HigherEducation must
redefine its mission and vision. Inmy view, this is the
challenge.
1. Arnold Erik and Teather Sarah, 2001, Vectors of
TechnologicalCapability: Theory and Practice of Qualified Manpower
PlacementSciences, Technologies Group.
2. Cummings Williams K. Cummings, 1997, The Service Universityin
Comparative Perspective, Suny Buffalo.
3. Ducker Peter, F, 1994, The Age of Social Transformation,
theAtlantic Monthly, November 1994.
4. Gibbons Michael, 1989, Higher Education Relevance in the
21st
Century, the World Bank.
5. Science and Development networking, December 2005.
6. Egypt Today, June 2005.
7. Mangena Mosibudi, 2008; Address of Minister of Science
andTechnology of South Africa at the Japan-Africa
MinistersSeminar.
8. UNESCO Regional Office for Education in Africa, 1989,
HigherEducation in Africa: Achievements, Challenges and
Prospects,Dakar.
Notes
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26 UNESCO EN AFRIQUE N 1 Spcial
ABSTRACTThis paper explores the relevance of a nexusbetween
higher education and regional integrationso that Africa can be more
adequately preparedto face and address the newly
emergingdiscontents arising out of an increasinglyglobalised
system. The paper argues that there isan urgent need for
regionalism and regionalcooperation to extend their boundaries
beyondthe purely economistic in order to encompassthe political,
social, cultural and, in so doing, callfor and allow for a better
linkage between theAfrican higher education space and
regionalism.The paper also proposes a framework- (A 6CS by6Ds
model) which can help to enhance theinterface between regionalism
and highereducation. A consolidated articulation betweenthese two
can help to address the challenges ofglobalization with the view of
improving theAfrican human condition, contributing to anafrocentric
ideology and perhaps evenhelping Africa reclaimthe 21st
century.
INTRODUCTIONCurrent global crises are more than likely going
tomarginalize the continent further. The intentionhere is not to
present an afro-pessimistic pictureof the African continent but to
call for somerealism. The Western media has too frequentlyportrayed
the continent as all gloom and doomand it is important to steer
away from thisapproach. However, one should avoid falling intothe
trap of the romanticizing being done bysome about the few African
owned initiativeswhich have seen the light of day in the recent
pastand project optimism only. Whilst some elementsof these recent
African owned initiatives such asthe APRM, NEPAD, the setting up of
newinstitutions such as the Pan-African Parliament aswell as the
African Union may contribute toaccelerating development in Africa,
the linkagesbetween these institutions and African higher
education spaces remain toothin and
sparse.
Regional Cooperation and Higher Education in
Africa:Consolidating the Links to Reclaim the 21st CenturySheila
Bunwaree*
* Professor, University of Mauritius / Nordiska Africa Institute
(Uppsala).
UNESCO / Roger, Dominique Bibliothque de l'universit, Togo
(Lom)
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27UNESCO IN AFRIQUE Special Issue N. 1
Globalization has become a buzz word butsuffice it to say that
it is not anything new. It hasexisted since time immemorial except
that nowit has become much more rapid, complex andspreading its
tentacles, penetrating the differentlayers of peoples lives in
myriad ways. There aretwo (2) broad schools of thought
onglobalization- the optimist and the pessimist andincreasingly
there is a third perspective who canbe grouped as the moderates.
The latter arguethat globalization is almost inevitable and is
hereto stay and it is therefore important to see how itcan be made
to work in the best interests of allin order to obtain a better and
more just world.(Mittelman, 2005, Stiglitz, 2006, Cheru, 2007).
Regional cooperation and regionalism are seen asa response to
globalization. The key questions thatare therefore posed include:
Are Africanuniversities sufficiently regionally oriented, Are
thecurricula/programmes on offer relevant for thisglobal era, why
does knowledge productioncontinue to remain fragmented as well as
sogender blind, can we encourage more indigenousknowledge systems
so that regionalism becomesmore anchored into the realities on the
groundand thus easier also to obtain home-grownsolutions?
The questions of how to make globalization workand African
higher education more relevantbecome even more pertinent in the
context of thenew crises such as the food crisis/insecurity,climate
change and global warming, the collapseof the DOHA development
talks, the globalfinancial crisis and its implications on the
Aidarchitecture and in turn the ripple effects that thismay have on
funding for higher education in Africa.
The implications of globalization such as theincreased demand
for higher education, theerosion of national regulatory frameworks,
the
commodification of knowledge and theaccompanying borderless
education market arenew challenges that the sector has to
face.Grappling with some of these challenges is noteasy for a
continent which is still trying to come togrips with the
deleterious consequences of thestructural adjustment programmes
(SAPS)imposed by the World Bank and the IMF in the1970s and 1980s.
SAPS, also commonly knownas the Washington consensus, meant
theadoption of measures which led to the rolling backof the state
and this in the name of fiscal disciplineand macroeconomic
stabilization of the economy.Many African countries experienced
major cuts ingovernment expenditure in the field of educationand
health. Needless to say that African highereducation experienced a
severe blow.
Scholars and intellectuals on the differentcampuses from Dakar
to Dar es Salaam, fromCairo to Cape Town have to struggle to
sustaintheir livelihoods after the deleterious impact ofSAPS on
African higher education. Sall (2003),Sawyer (2004) and Zeleza
(2003) havehighlighted the difficulties that intellectuals facein a
climate of harsh neo-liberal policies. TheAfrican higher education
space was murdered.In addition, Africas system of highereducation
was struck a near mortal blow by theinternational financial
institutions in the 1980s(Onyeonoru 2004:198). The rolling back of
thestate and the associated cuts in governmentexpenditure on the
African tertiary space took itstoll. Commenting on the World Banks
policies,Gutto (2006:310) notes: It was meant toreduce- and
succeeded in reducing- Africa andAfricans to the level of mere
purchasers,peddlers and uncritical consumers of knowledgeabout
Africa and Africans developed by thenorth to serve the interests
and the needs of theNorth. It also created space for the
deployment
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28 UNESCO EN AFRIQUE N 1 Spcial
in Africa of so-called experts, consultants andadvisors from the
north, at considerable cost tothe continent.
In addition to the macroeconomic problems,intellectuals often
unconsciously and sometimeseven consciously internalise global
hegemonicthought and transmit diverse elements of thishegemonic
knowledge to the younger generation.Houtoundji (2002) has very
eloquently drawn ourattention to this problem. Can regionalism help
tochallenge and reverse such hierarchies ofknowledge and address
some of the otherproblems related to issues of quality,
relevance,equity and access.
President Mbeki had delivered some importantaddresses on the
crucial role of Africanintellectuals and African universities in
theprocess of regeneration that is underway in Africa.In his
renewing the African University speech, atthe University of Cape
Town, in November 2004,he said: I would suggest that our entire
continentremains at risk until the African university, in
thecontext of a continental reawakening, regains itssoul In this
context, a university should not bean enclave or an ivory tower
whose curricula andprogrammes have little relation to the society
inwhich it operates (Mbeki, 2004).
And I wish to extend this argument to suggest thatwe should go
beyond our immediate borders; ouruniversities should think and act
regionally sincein so doing a lot of African energy and vitality
canbe harnessed to confront the vagaries ofglobalization. A
consolidated human-centredregional cooperation and a radical
progressiveAfrican scholarship can go a long way to shift
theemphasis from the reductionist approach todevelopment i.e. one
which is narrowly confinedto economic growth to instead see and
interpret
development as freedom- as freedom from want,from illiteracy,
from malnutrition and in line witha rights-based approach to
development. And forthis, we need strong states, states which
areenabler, protector, liberator states. Africanscholars have an
important role to play, toadvocate and push for such states so
thatAfrocentricity can become more meaningful andthe human
condition can be improved on thecontinent.
REGIONALISM, AFROCENTRICITY AND AFRICANHIGHER EDUCATIONVan
Langenhove et al (2006) note: Regionalismis a political vision that
can be an answer toglobalization. It comprises first and for all
aneconomic vision, namely that economicintegration is beneficial.
This implies opening upof borders to the neighbors and joining
forces withthe other members of a regional group to competeat a
global level. Secondly, it contains a vision ofpolitical and social
integration. The deepereconomic integration between neighbors
goes,the more need there is to establish integrationbetween other
sectors of society. And thirdly, thereis emerging a vision about a
global world orderthat has a place for regionalism. This vision
startsfrom the premise that the present world order(based upon
sovereign states and multi-levelintegration) is not optimal to deal
withglobalization and global threats. The visiontherefore is to use
regionalism as a tool toestablish a new global balance of power
betweenthe small and big countries of the world andbetween the rich
and poor countries.
According to Ben Rosamond (2000), regionalismrefers to the
tendency of geographicallyproximate territories or states to engage
ineconomic integration and to form free trade areasand possibly
common markets. Margaret Lee
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29UNESCO IN AFRIQUE Special Issue N. 1
(2003) however extends the boundaries of thisdefinition beyond
economies and markets. Leedefines regionalism as the adoption of a
regionalproject by a formal regional economicorganization designed
to enhance the political,economic, social, cultural and security
integrationand/or cooperation of member states. Lee alsorefers to
the transformation of a geographical areainto a clearly identified
social space.
Are African universities sufficiently orientedtowards the
region? Is regionalism itselfsufficiently focusing on the
articulation betweenthe economic and the social aspects? Whilst
thedifferent regional blocs work together onharmonizing and
aligning a number of economicpolicies and emphasize economic
development,the social and cultural engineering that
shouldaccompany such initiatives remain rather scarce.It is not
surprising that a small survey that wascarried out by myself with
both students andacademics at the University of
Mauritiushighlighted that some segments of our societiesknow very
little if at all on these regional initiatives.The decisions and
policies made remain too state-centric and not sufficiently
people-orientedalthough the discourses and the rhetoric
revolvearound people-centredness. Under suchcircumstances, it will
not be easy to develop asense of belonging and afrocentricity and
neitherwould the consolidation of the African highereducation space
be made easy.
Asante (2001) notes that: afrocentricity is aquality of thought
or action that allows the Africanperson to view himself or herself
as an agent andactor in human history, not simply as someonewho is
acted upon. It provides a perspective fromthe subject place, not
from the margins of beingvictims or being an object in someone
elses
world. Thus, Africans are seen as creators,originators and
sustainers of ethics, values andcustoms.
Can we get our universities to encourageAfrocentricity without
rejecting the opportunitiesthat are arising out of the global
system and thenew south-south cooperation? Cognisance shouldbe
taken of the emerging giants China and Indiasince they have
contributed to changing the faceof globalization but caution must
be exercised andromanticizing avoided since they can alsobecome the
new scramblers of Africa . Our youthand intelligentsia should be
more vigilant andwork together with our leaders to interrogate
someof the so-called new partnerships and initiativesand/or in some
cases work to challenge thegrowing transnational elites who work
andreproduce systems which only benefit the alreadyprivileged and
allow the chasms and the dividesbetween the haves and the have-nots
grow. 21st
century Africa simply cannot allow for theexpansion of such a
divide and polarization
CONCLUSIONIf the African higher education space is to makean
effective contribution to regionalism and viceversa, it is perhaps
important to engage in anaudit of the diverse programmes being
offeredand see how to make them relevant to key societalconcerns so
that in turn the nexus between theregional block and the African
higher educationspace can contribute to making the attainment ofthe
MDGS a reality. The MDGs have their ownproblems and need also to be
critiqued but fornow, perhaps we have no other way out than
toconcentrate on them so that the tall order that weconfront in
trying to eradicate poverty becomesmore manageable.
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30 UNESCO EN AFRIQUE N 1 Spcial
The 6CS and 6DS ethically driven framework/modelAs part of my
conclusion, I would therefore like topropose a model/framework the
6Cs by 6Dsmodel within which we should rethink the Africanhigher
education space/regionalism as a responseto globalisation as well
as look at some of theinitiatives that are already in place and how
tobeef them up so that we avoid all forms ofduplication.
The first 3 Cs include what we should reinforceand look at:
1. Context
2. Coherence
3. Cooperation/Commitment
1. We cannot operate in a vacuum. Contextsremain very important.
We cannot afford tooperate in a vacuum- the new dynamics callfor a
constant revision and adaptation ofprogrammes. The latter should be
fluidenough to adapt and innovate so that they canrespond to
emerging dynamics in the mosteffective manner.
2. Coherence- very often we find that policies areformulated and
implemented in differentquarters and there is not
enoughharmonisation. This then leads to a multiplicityof problems.
This does not mean that one sizefits all but there needs to be
sufficientunderstanding and consensus so that decisionstaken become
a win-win situation for all.
3. Cooperation carries with it the notion ofpartnerships but one
cannot talk ofpartnerships if the playing field is unlevelled.There
should be enough predisposition of the
mind i.e. the right habitus and political will togive up a
little bit of ones sovereignty andinterests if doing so means the
betterment ofthe greatest numbers on the continent.
The second set of the 3cs are what we shouldavoid. In other
words, we should work atchallenging and reversing all forms of:
1. Cooptation
2. Conflicts/Chaos
3. Camouflaging.
1 Sometimes, those in power coopt people whohave the ability and
capacity to contest and tochallenge. Questioning the structures of
powerand interrogating the system can be a veryhealthy exercise of
democracy and can bevery beneficial to the higher
educationlandscape. It is therefore important not toallow the best
and independent minds of thecontinent to get coopted by those
holdingpower. Such minds can help to consolidate thedemocratic
space and ensure that debatesremain kicking and alive within and
outsidethe institutions of higher learning. But if suchpeople are
coopted, it often means theemergence of a culture of silence and
the lackof debates.
2 Conflicts are known to be averse to all formsof development.
Many parts of Africa remainconflict-ridden- some are fuelled by
internaldynamics, others by external ones and often itis a
combination of both. But whether externalor internal or a
combination of both, conflictstend to impact negatively on the
Africanuniversities. They can lead to very poorconditions of work,
sometimes even leading tothe closure of universities for very long
periods
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31UNESCO IN AFRIQUE Special Issue N. 1
with all the deleterious consequences thatsuch closures may have
on both the economyand the social set-up of the diverse
countries.Conflicts can also lead to severe brain drainthus causing
countries which are already shortof manpower to suffer even
further
3 Camouflaging certain realities is not in the bestinterests of
any country. If regionalism is tothrive and allow for an
improvement in thehuman condition through research andteaching in
the African universities,transparency and accountability
shouldbecome the order of the day. The differentsystems should be
cleared of all forms ofcorruption, clientelism and patronage.
Onlythen, they will be able to promote meritocracyin the real sense
of the word. Camouflagingbad practices would be detrimental
todevelopment. For the latter to be consolidatedand sustained, our
higher education systemsshould also be driven by ethics.
Cooptation, conflicts and camouflaging can marall attempts at
development. If thinkers andintellectuals allow themselves to be
coopted bythe powerful and the influential and contribute tothe
entrenchment of the neoliberal agenda,premised on the unholy
trinity of furtherliberalisation, privatisation, and
deregulationcausing havoc to peoples lives, then the chancesof the
continent to reclaim the 21st century willsimply disintegrate.
In order to ensure that the 6Cs mentioned herecan become part of
our reality, we need to workcollectively and ethically towards the
adoption ofthe 6Ds as well.
The 6 Ds include 2 sets- what should be doneand what should be
avoided.
The first 3 Ds include Decentralisation, Delivery,Dialogue.
1 Decentralisation should be understood andinterpreted from
different perspectives. Inorder to ensure greater access and equity
inhigher education and allow for a betterutilisation of the sons
and daughters of thesoil, it is important to decentralise, that is
takethe institutions of higher learning to thelearners rather than
concentrate on only a fewlearners accessing the sites of learning
inurban spaces. A policy of decentralisationreaching the rural and
semi rural areas aretherefore a must if the articulation
betweenhigher education and regionalism is to beconsolidated.
Decentralisation can also encompass the notionthat all powers
should not be in the hands of thetransmitters of knowledge but also
the recipientsof knowledge. In other words, decentralisation
ofpower to the students would mean that they arealso given a voice
in the teaching and learningprocess and that they are not there as
passiverecipients of knowledge.
2 Delivery - The mode of delivery is veryimportant when it comes
to the imparting ofknowledge. Far too often, knowledge bearersin
the institutions of higher learning have arather undemocratic
approach to teachingand learning where student autonomy
andempowerment is at stake. This should berevised so that the mode
of teaching andlearning becomes a 2 way traffic and more ofa
participatory process thus creating thenecessary space for the
development ofcritical minds.
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32 UNESCO EN AFRIQUE N 1 Spcial
3 Dialogue- Dialogue should be at the core of alldevelopment
efforts. Often institutions ofhigher learning are seen as ivory
towers whereresearch and teaching do not go beyond thewalls of the
universities. For regionalism toimpact positively, there should be
a constantdialogue between policy makers andacademia. Dissemination
workshops anddialogues across the board should beencouraged so that
policies do not getformulated in a vacuum but are rather inspiredby
relevant research, thus contributing to theuplift of the human
condition.
The second set of the 3DS are what we shouldavoid. In other
words, we should work atchallenging and reversing all forms of
Domination,Dependence and Dismantling of the state.
1 Domination: For far too long, knowledgeproduction has been
dominated by the Northand by males. It is time for Africa
toconcentrate on home-grown knowledgeproduction and allow for a
better utilisation ofits indigenous knowledge systems. The mindsof
many on the African continent are stillcolonised and such
colonisation of the mindcan often lead to inappropriate
solutionsproposed for local problems on the ground.There is also an
urgent need for highereducation spaces to be less dependent ondonor
funding.
2 Dependence- Too much dependence onforeign aid and donor
funding implies thatresearch agendas may be driven by thedonors
themselves and not necessarilyrelevant to the best interests of the
region. It istherefore important to strategise in such a
manner so as to move towards greaterfinancial autonomy.
3 Dismantling of the state- Dismantling of thestate should be
resisted on all counts. Thestate remains a key player in as far as
findingthe most relevant, equitable, accessible andquality higher
education for the promotion andconsolidation of regionalism is
concerned.States should be strengthened so that we canalso adopt a
multi-stakeholder approach toprevent any further forms of
domination in asfar as production of knowledge and/ormultinationals
and conglomerates governingour lives is concerned. The empowering
of theAfrican citizenry through institutions of higherlearning is
therefore most urgent so as to alsoreduce dependence on the
external world.
It is perhaps important to remind ourselves ofCherus views here.
Cheru notes (2008:38 )...one of the lessons from Africas
pastexperiment with regional integration is that lessambitious,
more flexible institutional regionaleconomic cooperation
initiatives may have morepotential because of their responsiveness
tomember states priorities and interests. Thisimplies less binding
project-oriented andfunctional cooperation schemes involving
actionon certain themes or in certain sectors that offersome
immediate benefits. These types ofpragmatic institutional
arrangements with realisticand well-defined objectives responding
to specificshort term needs may offer better prospects
thanambitious initiatives.
This is why we need to capture the possibilitiesthat already
exist and sharpen them up in such amanner so that they can respond
to the
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33UNESCO IN AFRIQUE Special Issue N. 1
continents pressing needs. Some of theseinitiatives/platforms
include the UNESCO chairs.The latter have identified a few priority
themesand have been engaging in solidmultidisciplinary research
which is of relevanceto African development. But perhaps there is
aneed to revisit them so that they can contributeto more cutting
edge policy-oriented researchand knowledge production in emergent
keyareas. There is also an urgent need for morecross-fertilization
between the educationalsciences and the social sciences. We
remainvictims of our training and often exhibitexcessive concerns
to preserve our autonomyand in so doing cannot contribute
effectively tosolving new problems which require
moreinterdisciplinarity. Such concerns can lead to anumber of
institutional barriers and othergovernance problems that need to
beaddressed.
Another major initiative that we cannot andshould not ignore is
the African Unions actionplan on education. The one major
limitation isthat whilst the plan evokes the gender question,it
does not address it as a crosscutting issue inthe same way that the
MDGS also do notaddress it as crosscutting and therefore retardall
development. The importance oftranscending disciplinary barriers to
develophome-grown solutions for African problems isnot given
attention. Africa cannot afford to allowknowledge production to
continue in afragmented manner, it will simply not serve
thecontinents purpose and reclaiming the centurymay then remain an
elusive dream.
ECOWAS, SADC and other sub-regionalgroupings are also
encouraging research in anumber of areas but more dissemination
isrequired as well as more efforts deployed toensure that African
researchers are not reducedto becoming mere data collectors for
donor-driven agendas and/or agendas of researchersin the North-
something that can be describedas what John Galtung calls
scientificcolonialism.
The world is still very unequal and for Africa toreposition
itself successfully in this unequalorder, we, as African
intellectuals, need tochallenge inequality in all its forms.
TheAmerican anthropologist Philiipe Bourgois tellsus that: Writing
against inequality isimperative. Denouncing injustice andoppression
is not a nave old-fashionedanti-intellectual concern On the
contrary, it isa vital historical task intellectually,
becauseglobalization has become synonymous withmilitary
intervention, market-driven poverty andecological destruction. It
is impossible tounderstand what is going on anywhere withoutpaying
attention to the power dynamics thatshape inequality everywhere.
(2006 X-XI).
In many ways the above echoes what EdwardSaid and Claude Ake
have also said in as far asthe role of the intellectuals is
concerned. Let ustherefore make it our collective responsibility
tofocus on strengthening the nexus betweenregionalism and the
African higher educationspace so that Africa can reclaim the 21st
century.
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34 UNESCO EN AFRIQUE N 1 Spcial
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Recovery for a New future in Africa in the 21st
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Cheru F. (2007) Current African Issues, Africas development in
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Houtondji P. (2002) African philosophy, Myth or Reality, HOPE
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Onyeonoru, I. (2004) Globalisation and Trade Union Resistance,
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her Universities? CODESRIA Bulletin nos 3 and 4.Stiglitz, J. (2006)
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35UNESCO IN AFRIQUE Special Issue N. 1
La coopration pdagogique universitaireSverine AWENENGO
DALBERTO*
Il sagit ici de montrer ltat des lieux et les enjeuxcruciaux de
la coopration en matire depdagogie universitaire, afin de permettre
sa priseen compte dans les recommandations de laConfrence (CRESA,
2008).
Ce champ est incontournable dans la mesure ola transmission des
savoirs et des savoir-faire,fondement de lUniversit, repose
essentiellementsur la relation entre les enseignants-chercheurset
les tudiants. Essentiellement mais pasuniquement bien entendu,
lensemble des corpsprofessionnels, et notamment
lencadrementadministratif, tant indispensables, il reste leurrle de
favoriser cette relation entre enseignantset tudiants.
Or entre 1998 et 2008, deux dynamiquesdevraient rendre
particulirement capitalelattention porte la question pdagogique :la
massification et la professionnalisation deluniversit. Avant de
dvelopper cet tat des lieux,il est important de comprendre ce qui
est en jeu.
1. La massification
De plus en plus des jeunes entrent danslenseignement suprieur.
Ils entrent sans lebagage cognitif, avec moins de mthodes detravail
et dans des amphis et salles de classe, deplus en plus bonds.
Dune part, ils ne sont plus, socialement parlant,des hritiers ou
des prcurseurs et, dautre part,la massification de lenseignement
primaire etsecondaire, dans la perspective de lducationPour Tous et
le recours des enseignants sansformation initiale, ont pes sur le
niveau desentrants luniversit. Les initiatives actuelles
derenforcement de la formation des enseignants duprimaire et du
secondaire, sans formation initiale,
vont aller dans le sens dune amlioration de laqualit de la
formation des apprenants dusecondaire et, par consquence, sur le
niveaudes entrants luniversit.
Il ne sagit pas de le dplorer ou non, car lamission de
luniversit est de sadapter sestudiants. Dans cette perspective, il
ny a pas debons ou de moins bons tudiants entrants, maisune bonne
ou une moins bonne capacit deluniversit les prendre en charge, les
formeret les accompagner vers lemploi. Cest dans cesens, me
semble-t-il, que le Recteur delUniversit de Saint-Louis
interrogeait lesfondements du discours de remise en cause dela
qualit des tudiants .
Lentre dans lenseignement suprieur est unpassage brutal, de
lhtronomie du systmedapprentissage dans le secondaire vers
uneautonomie dans les modes dapprentissage etdencadrement, pour
laquelle tous les tudiantsne sont pas prts. Or, les ef